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It may sound funny that overpopulation is both a plus and a minus for India. A plus because it is the country's biggest growth driver as businesses can thrive on the domestic market. A minus because an overwhelming majority of the people are still below the poverty line.
Weighing the pros and cons, India will perhaps be happy if half of the country's population is granted citizenship by other countries. When the country is not concerned about losing even, M F Hussain, called the "Picasso of India", to Qatar, ordinary mortals will hardly evoke any sentiment with the establishment.
India is used to seeing people migrate and take up overseas citizenships for monetary considerations. But the celebrated Indian artist was not one of them. He was driven out of the country by some obsessive, fanatical Indian groups -- with the government doing nothing other than offering some lip service. Hurling abuse at a 95-year-old man who was the country's joy and pride, so much as to make him apprehend bodily harm, is downright shameful to say the least. He did not apply for any citizenship, it was just offer to him on a platter by Qatar.
We bent backwards to protect Taslima Nasreen, an alien who eventually chose to take shelter in cosy western climes. But with M F Hussain, India did not go beyond mere insincere words. Threatend with physical harm and harassment, he fled the country and lived in exile for around four years, and all these years India did little to bring him back. India just used him -- such as presenting dignitaries who visited India (Bill Clinton, Musharraf) with Hussain's paintings.
India is a thankless country. This incident is bound to make others like Hussain think the country does not deserve them. But does India's leadership care? Staying in power is what that counts for them. It may be pertinent to recall here John F Kennedy's famous words, "Do not ask what the country can do for you, ask what you can do for the country." But what if a country forsakes you even after all your contributions to give it a global standing?
It is not as if India did little for him. He had been decorated with the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awards and was also nominated to the Rajya Sabha. But where it mattered most, the country let him down -- we did not give him the comfort that we really need him!
--G Joslin Vethakumar
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